Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

April 2013

I want to believe that the game of baseball doesn’t get itself caught up or snagged on those petty little things that can not only drag the integrity of the game down from all angles, but can sometime balloon out of control and eventually label a player or pitcher as “loose-lipped” or belligerent. I want to believe that baseball is above such drama, but with human interaction, anything is possible.

I personally think whatever was said between Home Plate Umpire Tom Hallion and Rays starter David Price on Sunday will ultimately come down to a “he said, they said” kind of scenario for the MLB disciplinarians. Now I’m not on either adversaries side here. I do feel that Hallion errored when he made a move in Price’s direction as the Rays ace was strolling towards the Rays dugout at the end of the 7th inning. With Hallion beginning the aggression by speaking with an already frustrated Price, even a sane and rational statement would have ignited Price and the Rays bench.

I expect the Umpires to have a sense of decorum which somehow was not evident in Hallion’s movements or comments even if it was more G-rated than the PG-13 opinion heard by Price and the Rays bench. What makes this volleying of comments between Price and Hallion especially dangerous is the fact Price is stating Hallion used a “no-no” adult phrase towards him after his last pitch of the 7th inning contest, and Hallion with a square-jaw is calling Price “a liar”. The fact the two parties even got into each other remote space after Price retired Dewayne Wise with a come-backer to end the inning then strolled to the Rays dugout was made worse by Hallion aggressive steps towards Price when decorum and tight-lips would have been advised by both sides.

You can see on the replay that they did bark back and forth a few times, and here is where the “he said,they said” come full circle. Price says Hallion snipped at him, “throw the ball over the f#@^&in’ plate”, while Hallion told a pool reporter after the game that he said, “just throw the ball”. Someone either heard extra words and vowels, or someone didn’t hear their own verbage in the exchange. Some say MLB should dig deeper into the fandango, but in all honesty, unless the conversation was caught by the Home Plate audio mic, it is every man’s words for themselves, even Hellickson’s commentary.

I wonder just what was heard by fellow Rays hurlers Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore who were barking like bulldogs towards Hallion and Hallion advised the Rays duo to stop the barrage, but Hallion decided Hellboy was the aggressor of the pair and immediately ejected Hellboy while Moore was given a reprieve. This type of exchange happens nightly upon a baseball diamond, but what set this situation into a total nuclear meltdown might just be the frustrations of Price overflowing at the wrong moment when Hallion decided he had to make his opinion known as well as a level of disrespect felt by Price’s peers who were camped out on the Rays dugout rail and got a front row seat to the entire exchange.

There is a huge danger here for Price to consider first and foremost. If he begins to show emotions, make ill-advised comments towards anyone in blue, his reputation with the Umpires and their previous strike calls when Price’s pitches just seem to nip the corners may fade away. No one wins in this exchange. Sure Price has been frustrated this April and maybe one certain word from Hallion, possibly the phrase “then get it over the plate” to Price might have set this all in motion, or just poked the already angry bear hidden within Price.

In the end the game of baseball is filled with high and low emotional moments when frustrations, excitement and even dismay can turn on a dime and take you from the top of the mountain to the darkest depths. In all honesty, both parties have fault here, but Price has more to lose in the long run than Hallion. Respect on the diamond is paramount especially for a pitcher who makes his living painting the corners of the strike zone. Let’s hope there are no repercussions from this for Price, and that Hallion get whats coming to him…..I think a 98 mph fastball somehow missed by a Ray catcher into Hallion’s thigh would make more than a few people smile…including me.

You have to think the recent deep valley that Tampa Bay Race ace David Price has found himself so far in April is an unfortunate blip in his otherwise stellar Rays career marks. That fact Price is still winless after his 5th start of the season has some wondering if Price might indeed have more to worry about in late July than how much water to give super pooch Astro.

With his recent slide backwards some chirps have been growing louder that Price could find himself on the opposite end of more than a few trade rumors come July, and possibly find himself throwing his late season starts in a National League park. Of course it is too early to fully dive deep into such a move, but with his recent struggles and the younger members of the Rays rotation posting wins and numbers that have the Rays Front Office giddy for the future, the proposed arbitration salary mark for Price might make him expendable a lot earlier than any of us truly imagined.

Because the Rays 4 and 5 starters Matt Moore and Alex Cobb have stepped up considerably during the time of Price’s unfortunate pitching streak and have miraculously contributed to 7 of the Rays total 10 victories. In all, the Rays starting staff has notched 9 of the Rays 10 wins, with Rays closer Fernando Rodney getting the other victory. But with Moore and Cobb escalating their game, it kind of makes Price a little bit of extra weight especially since he is projected to be the Rays highest paid pitcher EVER possibly this Winter.

I truly expect that sooner rather than later the Rays will swap Moore into the 3 slot currently held by free agent signee Roberto Hernandez, and I would not be surprised if the Rays might also have Cobb tag-along right behind Moore and possibly take over the 4 spot with Hernandez descending to the 5th spot in the rotation. This is nothing personal to Hernandez, it is the pure fact Moore and Cobb have adjusted and matured to the point they would be solid at the 3 or 4 slots in the rotation for the rest of the season.

Combine all of this with the success a few of the Rays top hurlers have had at Triple-A Durham, and you could see a considerably young explosion of talent rising up in September to claim attention and possible spot for 2014. Chris Archer who most thought might push possibly push Hernandez to the Bullpen this Spring has a healthy 3-1 record after 5 starts and has struck out 25 hitters. Jake Odorizzi might sport only a 1-0 record, but he also has sent 30 International League hitters back to the bench in his 25 innings.

It is not like I want to see or propose the Rays look for alternatives to Price come late July, but more and more the quick maturation process displayed already by Jeremy Hellickson, Moore and Cobb might hasten the Rays Front Office’s conversation to possibly find a suitor for Price who could possibly bring in a slew of great prospects, possibly a top catching prospect and maybe even a young Third Baseman currently at the High-A level who could mature in the Rays system and be a fit if and when Evan Longoria possibly becomes a Designated Hitter or possibly a First Baseman as he grows into the gray parts of his recent Rays “lifetime” deal.

This is hard to write and even fathom since Price is such a likeable guy and has been more than generous with his time on and off the field to the Rays Republic. But as we all know, sometimes you have to make adjustments, let go of real talent to bring your own club’s level of competition to a higher level and bring in the right pieces to run the machine for several seasons.

This scenario of Price possibly leaving the Rays earlier than anyone expected might have its origins in the pure fact the Rays young pitching talent has shown reason for the team to possibly even think the unthinkable and imagine this team without Price leading the rotation come August 1st. But sometimes when the talent level rises as high as it has in 2013, no one is guaranteed a spot on the 25-man roster, sometimes not even a proud and fan popular Ace.

I have had Tampa Bay Rays infielder Ryan Roberts on my Fantasy teams for the last several years. It is not for him maintaining a high batting average, but when he gets on a bit of a roll, he just plain tattoo’s the Rawlings right off the baseball. And when you have an alter ego like “TatMan”, adding a little extra ink or black mark produced by your bat smashing into the ball is not always a bad thing.

Adding another little ink moment to Robert’s first Home Run was the fact it was against the Rays numero uno nemesis, the New York Yankees who put their ace CC Sabathia on the hill and Roberts was behind in the count 0-2 when he lifted his first shot up and over the left field seats.

Say what you will about Robert’s unique and always expanding body art, but when he truly gets on a bit of a hitting streak, he is someone who not only can help elevate his own game, but those around him seem to also feel that same vibe and energy. You have to believe Rays shortstop Yunel Escobar felt some of that residual energy at the dish last night as he combined with Roberts to post back-to-back Home Runs becoming the first Rays middle infielders to EVER produce this feat.

Even more impressive was Robert’s blast as he lead off the bottom of the 3rd inning and got into a nice hitters count with 3balls and 1 strike when Sabathia tried to sneak a pitch by Roberts that he instead decided to deposit again into the left field seats to the joy off everyone in Section 135-137. His Home Run in that at bat also secured only the 3rd time in Rays history they have seen such a power explosion from their middle infielders.

Roberts display last night with his bat also was the first time since he has given up two long bombs to a single hitter since May 23,2010 when he gave up a “deuce” to New York Mets OF Jason Bay during an Inter-League series at Citi Field. Not only did Roberts hit two long and far away shots, but he went 3-for-4 in the contest and helped pace the Rays to their 4th straight win at home to boost their home mark to 7-3 this season.

What is even more special is the pure fact Roberts is in the middle of one of those nice hitting streaks I spoke about at the beginning of the post as he is currently 7-15 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored and there are still 2 more contests in the Trop. before the team hits the road for a 10-game slate. You can bet Rays Manager Joe Maddon will not hesitate to pencil in Roberts name on the lineup card as he is hitting a spectacular .455 (10-22) and has a 2-game hitting streak in which he has gone 5-9.

Roberts is quickly establishing himself as one of those hidden gems to the Rays offense considering most people who do not keep stats might not know Roberts currently enjoys a robust .308 2013 batting average and has been set up in the 2-hole the last 2 contests and produced a .455 average (5-11). Surprising enough, his elevation to the number 2 slot in the Rays lineup is the highest he has been in the Rays batting order with his previous best being in the 5th slot.

Throw out the additional facts Roberts has produced 3 multi-hit games over his last 4 starts and we might see someone who can reduce a bit of Maddon’s stress and worry, especially against southpaws. Yesterday Roberts also produced his second 3-hit game of this season, the first “trifecta” coming when the Rays hosted the Minnesota Twins back on April 12th. Seems kind of funny that Roberts only had his first extra base hit of 2013 this past Sunday in the Rays win against the Oakland A’s.

Roberts is also quickly establishing himself as a get plug-in player around the horn as he has made game appearances for the Rays during contests at First Base (1), Third Base (1) and his usual home Second Base (8). That mobility and versatility could get Roberts a lot of chances to expand upon his prior top hitting marks and possibly be another one of those hidden gems that seem to come to the surface for the Rays and gleam brightly all season long.

I can only image the design and location Roberts might pick to put a everlasting symbol of this great night and feat somewhere upon his skin canvas. Who knows, if he keeps hitting like this he might have to dedicate an entire limb just to his Rays accomplishments as well as tattoo a few hundred more Rawlings along the way.

It is one of those moments that everyone within Tropicana Field await with grand anticipation. Once the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff get to that lucky number “7”, the assembled Rays Republic begins that count down towards double digits with an increased excitement an increased cheering decibel level and that awesome thrill of knowing that something amazing happens when the Rays Center field Strikeout sign clicks to “10”.

The moment has become symbolic and synonymous to illustrate both the Rays pitching staff’s strikeout proficiency as well as the benchmark for a free morsel of edible goodness that can only be redeemed when that numerical plateau is finally achieved. It seems like forever, or at least since the Blimpies Sub promotion hit the trash can, that Papa John’s has become a part of the Rays late inning fun with such honored events such as the 7th inning stretch, or watching that invisible arrow pierce the sky after a Fernando Rodney save.

So far during the Rays 2013 season this event has transpired only once back on April 5th against the Cleveland Indians when Rays starter Matt Moore combined with relievers Jake McGee, Brandon Gomes and Joel Peralta to post 11 K’s on the Centerfield lighted strikeout board.

The Rays 10- Strikeout Challenge has become a part of our Rays in-game culture, but all that is about to change a bit as everyone within the Rays Republic can now taste the joy and excitement, even from your own couch or comfy recliner. ow, even as you sit at home watching the game on television or your computer or even listening to the contest on the Rays Radio broadcast within Tampa Bay and select Central Florida market locations can also celebrate this feat both home or away with discounted munchies and cold beverages?

That’s right Rays Republic, no matter if you are at home, at the game or even on the move within select Tampa Bay and Central Florida you can benefit from the Rays striking out 10 opponents in a game. All you will have to do is either call or go online to PappaJohns.com submit your order for their tasty products and use the promo code: “RAYS” on your carry out or delivery order and you will get 50% off your total for that order. Of course you will have to use this special code online only the day
AFTER a 10-K game and this offer is not valid with other discounts or offers and is only available at participating Papa John’s locations.

So far this season the Rays actually hit that double-digit mark in 2 of their away games, both in Boston on Saturday, April 13th and Monday April 15th when the Rays pitching staff posted 12 and 11 strikeouts respectfully during their weekend series. That would have been 2 additional times we could have utilized this food offer to the extreme joy and excitement of our families and friends. So now whether home or away you can utilize this special offer the next day after the Rays pitching staff hit the double-digit mark in strikeouts.

I actually did not know of this new Rays promotion with their corporate sponsor Pappa John’s until I recently bought a pizza and chicken poppers from my local franchise here in Northwest St. Petersburg, Florida. There upon the hot and extremely fragrant cardboard pizza box was attached this new Rays strikeout special offer.

Some might say it is only a 50% discount on your entire order, but considering that could be a nice $15.00 windfall on a $30 usual order., but it is another small way you can bring the excitement of watching the Rays strikeout total elevate and get something fantastic even while not sitting within the tilted cap of the Trop. I know I’m hoping the Rays hurlers today post 10 K’s so I can use this special offer knowing that 10 strikeouts by the Rays can get more some great food and beverages as I sit at home hoping for another 10 K result.

We have all known him during his journey as a clean cut, mid-western farm guy with no real scuff or hardness to him. But if you looked closely at Tampa Bay Rays hurler Jeremy Hellickson during his start on Monday in Boston, there are a few changes a brewin’.

I mean we have all seen a few of these guys come into Spring Training a bit rough with Winter pelts upon their face, but this is the first time I have ever seen even the first stages of a ‘stache and possible goatee on Hellboy. It is not like this would ruin or change his image overnight if he did sprout some facial features, but with guys like Ryan Roberts, James Loney and even David Price sporting some impressive facial accessories, maybe it is just part of the maturation process for Hellickson.

I do not want to make a big thing out of it since I’m one of those guys who is mostly clean-cut 24/7 except to let my hair grown long at times just to prove it still grows up there and is not sent out for a cleaning every 30-days. Still, this could be a nice addition to the Hellboy motif with some sprouting hairs both above and below and besides that trademark tongue appearance that is so-Helly.

I know Hellickson is not bowing the peer pressure from those more follicle enhanced on the team, but it just shows another direction and avenue Hellickson could journey down before his career is all said and done. I mean the guy will never produce a hair-masterpiece like Josh Reddick, or even Duck Dynasty’s Jace or Willie, but having a little reminder front and center to people you are not 21 forever and that is a good thing.

I truly hope the goatee and “mustache come in with fullness and robust color and clarity for Hellboy as those high definition camera’s will play a bit of havoc with him until it is fully grown in and it develops it own style. Still, it is a quick reminder that Hellickson is maturing, finding his own way both on and off the mound and truly feels like “one of the guys”, especially now with the Rays all-follicle crew. I know Rays Bench Coach Dave Martinez must like the change since he sports a pretty mean beard and accessories himself.

You have to think Rays southpaw Matt Moore has found the key to surviving and conquering his early seasonal pothole that has plagued him over his minor league and MLB career. Possibly it is as easy as a well-rubbed rabbit’s foot nestled in his left rear pants pocket that has helped him guide his 2013 numbers towards astronomical levels.

It is almost unheard of that a starting pitcher can post a 0.00 Era after 2 starts and not have been in the league at least 3-4 seasons. Even more surprising (in a great way) is the fact Moore is 2-0 even though he has had a few control situation, especially in regards to walks and not had one runner come around to haunt to hoist his ERA skyward.

But it is a confident thing for Rays fans that Moore has developed himself as a key component of this season’s team so early in the campaign especially as fellow ace and leftie David Price has found himself in a bit of a early season rut and showing a few signs of potential downswing from his 2012 Cy Young season. With Moore right now basically leading the Rays in not only ERA, but wins it will bring himself not only a great confidence boost, but could help produce the needed wins that could decide the Rays fate in September.

Right now I want to believe Moore can sustain this pace and post at least 5 or more wins before anything transpires that will de-rail this phenomenal start, but the reality is that we all know the floor will vibrate and finally crack for Moore but as a fan base we hope that happens later more than sooner.

The reason I implied Moore might have a lucky charm is the pure fact he has given up unexpected walks that could of, should have come back to haunt him, but has miraculously come out unscathed and still holds a spotless 0.00 ERA.

With Price getting roughed up a bit early on this season, the incredible start by Moore is amplified and a much needed boost in the arm for the Rays causes, especially as they headed out for their first road trip of the season. Even more amazing is the fact Moore and the Rays 5th starter, Alex Cobb have kept this club’s pitching staff secure more than a few victories, and heading into their early AL East swing in the schedule, these games could decide any divisional goal of the Rays.

This is the potential we all hoped would come to the top for Moore who boasted some incredible strikeout numbers and control in his minor league starts, and with his new found rhythm and confidence started by this great string to the start of his 2013 season, the Rays will ride the luck of Moore until he levels out and begins to settle in to the middle of his starts this season.

I hope Moore not only posts more amazing results, but sees his game elevate during this string of starts hopefully possessing the Rays to moving him from his current 4th spot to the 3rd slot in the Rays rotation after an off day. Moore right now is doing the things we always envisioned he would as a starter, and with that he has taken this team firmly on his back and brought victories and smiles to his fellow players as well as the fan who truly want to see Moore succeed and become a pillar of this Rays staff.

In reality, it sucks what has transpired over the last few months for Tampa Bay Rays SP Jeff Niemann. He fought and went down swinging this Spring in his battle for the Rays 5th rotation slot with former ace Roberto Hernandez. And as the “Tall Texan” went toe-to-toe with Hernandez, he somehow developed a glitch in his pitching delivery that forced his velocity to decrease to alarming levels.

It is like Niemann had to go through his own trial of Job this Spring before it was finally revealed by the Rays Medical staff that Niemann needed some R&R, or possibly surgery to repair the damage that reared its ugly head this Spring, and now might have cost him more than just the 2013 season.

You have to think this “down time” during his surgical rehab might be the final curtain for his Rays tenure, especially as Niemann will again go through the salary arbitration process this Winter, and with the advancement of the young talent down at Triple-A Durham, there might not be a place for Niemann on the Rays past the 2013 season. Of course this is just speculation right now that the young budding staff will remain healthy in 2013, but for all purposes, Niemann probably threw his last pitch ever as a Rays this Spring.

Throwing even more darkness on a hopefully return by Niemann after his rehab to returning to the Rays is the fact until he begins throwing possibly towards the end of the 2013 Rays campaign or during the Winter, there will be nothing but doubt and wonder if Niemann can regain not only a chance of playing again for this team, but get his velocity to a point that would warrant a longer look by the Rays staff in retaining him via the arbitration process.

We all know that the Rays value depth in their pitching corps, and possibly the only future path for Niemann to find a spot on this team’s roster past 2013 might be in his newly defined role in the Rays Bullpen as a long-reliever. Even in this instance, Niemann window of opportunity has dimmed a bit as the club did not get to utilize him in this new role and subsequently it would be a gamble on the Rays part baring a complete recovery to set a-side possibly $3-4 million dollars for a player who has question marks attached to them.

We all know Niemann has already completed the surgery portion of his recovery, but now comes the hard part for both sides as time will elapse and both the Rays and Niemann wait patiently until he can again begin some sort of throwing program to regain his strength and show progress or relapse capacities. I have gotten to know Niemann pretty well over his Rays years from his early rehab in the minors, the multiple Rays events he has attended.

I have confidence he will do whatever is needed to again step upon the clay of a MLB squad and throw that ball with vigor and vitality. I want to be confident Niemann will have a place, but the business of baseball might decide his fate and not the relationships and friendships he has established as a member of this team.

The worst thing is it might not be with the Rays name emblazoned upon his chest as the team might have to part ways with a guy who has embodied and lived his MLB career as a Rays and epitomizes the values and character needed to be a member of this franchise.

I want to be the first to stand up and applaud new Tampa Bay Rays James Loney and Shelly Duncan for their vocal barrage from the Visitor’s dugout railing tonight as they snipped with merit at the horrific job Home Plate Umpire Marty Foster made on the last pitched ball during the Rays 5-4 loss against the Texas Rangers.

Believe me if the Rangers had any deputy powers, they should have arrested Foster for impersonating a Umpire, but I digress. Seriously though, if the Rays were to lose that game even with their hottest hitter , Ben Zobrist at the plate, it should have been a ground ball, missed swing, not a called third strike to end a highly contested game that came so far out of left field Rangers closer Joe Nathan might have been the last person on the field to notice the game was over.

You can be sure there will either be a voice mail or a nice cordial phone call to Foster from someone within the MLB hiearchy, possibly his immediate supervisor asking him if he drank a frothy beverage as the teams changed positions for the top of the 9th inning instead of guzzling a nice, cool Gatorade. And the worst thing is you can not fathom or find a suitable excuse like the usual hot and hostile Texas heat or gnats that descended from purgatory (Texas) to make the sight lines into the Texas catcher’s glove impossible.

This was purely and truthfully just a blown call that possibly seconds after it’s conclusion Foster wishes he could take back or get a proverbial “mulligan”. And these things happen during a 162 game season, but it didn’t need to happen to this Rays team who struggled back to within a run of changing the outcome and who were still nursing a TKO in their Sunday home matinee.

But maybe this is the way the Rays will have to find ways to win in 2013. Possibly the high hype of their return to glory 5 years after their first surprising rise has more than a few people casting spells or making voodoo Longo dolls or Hellboy personas. But the Rays did have chances before this moment and could of taken the fate of their resurgence out of Foster’s hands before the top of the 9th inning.

On the same day their might Tall Texan, Jeff Nieman decided to partake the knife and sideline himself for the rest of the 2013 campaign, this team needed some sign of impending good fortune and change of fortune. The problem was as in in most Texas sagas, the man in the black cap shot the Rays in the foot and took their victory off into the sunset.

Maybe we can find a way to blame the call on long-time Rays nemesis and current Rangers catcher AJ Pierzenski, he was the guy who framed that last pitch for Foster…….Nah, Foster blew the call.

I guess The Shirelles had it right when they said….”Momma said there’ll be days like this”. It is one of those thing that happen to every pitcher at some point in their season, a game just gets away from you and no matter what you do to adjust or stop the bleeding, something springs a leak again and all you can do is shake your head at “ what could or should have been”.

That the most honest and to the point reasoning I come to what transpired to Rays ace David Price and any other Rays hurler that took their tun on the Rays mound on Sunday. I mean usually one pitcher gets rattled a bit and someone comes in and reverses the course or stems the tide a bit, but for some reason Sunday it seems no matter if the Rays went left or right they had a obstacle in their way.

I’m just going to chalk this horrific outing all around to a pitcher who was on his game on Sunday and a team that was tired of being embarrassed and shut out by this Rays pitching staff. You know this type of game seems to get into some pitcher’s heads once thew runs and hit begin to fall they try and adjust a bit on their grip, location and then instead of good things happening, the bottom falls out of their game.

Sure this is not a typical Rays outing, especially from Price, but the reality is this type of games do happen over the course of the season even to a guy who has a Cy Young on his home mantle. Some times things do sideways and you can not recover, and that seemed to happen to Price, Kyle Farnsworth, Brandon Gomes and Fernando Rodney all seeing their appearances become small disasters while Jamie Wright and Cesar Ramos got out of their innings unscathed and not permitting any run damage.

But this outing will have raise a few questions, with maybe one or two about Price. I thought he was trying to utilize his off-speed stuff a bit too much when things got dicey, but I also do not have the benefit of the Indians pitching report and possibly they are a team that showed some glaring weak spots in the breaking pitch department in the first two shutout wins, but on Sunday seemed to be waiting for some pitches and just launching them skyward.

There will definitely be a few muffled voices within the stands and fan base as to if Fernando Rodney is going through that usual “dead arm” sequence that sometimes hows up in Spring Training now in his first few appearances of 2013. But even if Rodney is suffering a bit with his delivery, do no fret, this is not a resurfacing of the 2011 Rodney that seemed to lose control at will and defeated himself on the hill.

And the third pitcher that might warrant a few odd opinions is Farnsworth who also did not seem at all settled and loose on the mound Sunday and might have some lingering effect he is trying to play through or might reoccur if he throw the bullet a bit higher in velocity. This is someone who prides himself on his craft and right now Farnsworth doesn’t seem to have all the materials he usually has at his side to fluster and confuse hitters.

This is not to suggest the Rays greatest asset, their pitching staff has concerns. It is just the plain truth that Sunday when the Rays sent their best to the mound, sometimes things do not groove in the right order, follow the norm and the unexpected rises its head up and introduces itself to your team. Maybe there is more life wisdom to that Shirelles song than we want to admit to at times. “There’ll be days like this my mama said”.

If Tampa Bay Rays starter Matt Moore who is usually a slow starter to begin the season as he gains velocity and control gets even a tad bit better for his second start, he might throw the Rays second No-Hitter. Seriously though, the fact Moore seems to have found a nice balance against the Cleveland Indians on Friday night and allowed only 2 hit to go with his 8 K’s and took home the “W” in his first start of the young season.

Maybe we can attest this change of routine to the fact Moore looked a little scruffy on the hill, not his usual clean-cut All-American cover boy self. Possibly Moore has taken a page from fellow southpaw David Price and just go with the flow and what the hitters give you and not stress the small stuff or missed borderline calls.

Or maybe it is really as simple as Moore took the mound during his Spring Training gigs like it was already the season and he used those 4 starts as his “early season” roller-coaster starts. No matter what the true reasoning is, it was great to see Moore showing great control, eliminating his walks and going6 innings while throwing an even 100 pitches. The pure fact Moore got to the 6th inning and helped the Bullpen is huge as it gave newly called-up reliever Brandon Gomes a chance to shine as well as give Jake McGee a solid outing to get that huge ERA starting it free-fall towards some sort of normalcy.

3 times during his 6 inning stint Moore set the side down in order with only three hitters coming to the plate. And only during the top of the 3rd when Cleveland had 5 hitters come to the plate and advanced Mike Aviles to Third Base did a hitter reach third base. Moore even helped his own cause by pitching inside to Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera who hit a weakly hit ball right to Evan Longoria who rocketed the ball to Jose Lobaton stationed at Home Plate to gun down Cabrera and keep the shutout intact for Moore.

That is the kind of pitching that will elevate this team and keep them in ballgames. Playing to the oppositions weaknesses and strangling their run scoring opportunities by keeping the ball in the park, and on the ground. Of the 10 balls hit and put into play last night, 6 were on the ground and were converted with no problems at all. If Moore can keep playing to the Rays strength of a solid and well-oiled Rays infield defense, this is only the first of the wins for him in 2013.

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